Performing Arts
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Gleefully campy ‘Titanique’ sails into ChicagoApr 04, 2025 10:34 am - “Titanique,” the snarky, sexual innuendo-filled parody of the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic,” isn’t for everyone, but if you appreciate great singers, power ballads, Celine Dion and camp, this is the tuner for you.
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Raw rock: CST’s ‘Sunny Afternoon’ affirms Ray Davies’ genius, Kinks’ enduring influenceApr 02, 2025 4:24 pm - The folks at Chicago Shakespeare Theater are nothing if not considerate. On opening night of “Sunny Afternoon,” the jukebox musical about 1960s Brit-rockers The Kinks, they thoughtfully provided ear plugs. Fortunately, this zestfully performed, zealously embraced show about the early days of the seminal British Invasion band is neither ear-shattering nor earthshaking. It is, however, hugely entertaining.
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Best Bets: Violinist Samuel Vargas joins Elgin Symphony Orchestra for Tchaikovsky concertoApr 01, 2025 2:00 pm - Acclaimed violinist Samuel Vargas joins the Elgin Symphony Orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Giordano Dance Chicago salutes its artistic director, and the CSO collaborates with the Joffrey Ballet.
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Things to do April 4-10: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, WWE SmackDown, Great Midwest Train Show and moreApr 01, 2025 8:30 am - Mark your calendar for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s “Restless Leg Tour,” WWE SmackDown, the Great Midwest Train Show, comedy from Nick Swardson and more happening this week.
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Spotlight: ‘Da Vinci Code’ thriller at Drury Lane, ‘Titanic’ tuner at MarriottMar 31, 2025 2:08 pm - Drury Lane Theatre stages a theatrical adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestselling “The Da Vinci Code,” Marriott Theatre revives the rarely produced musical “Titanic,” and Victory Gardens co-produces the Chicago premiere of David Mamet’s latest, “Henry Johnson.”
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Child’s play: North Central College theater grad pursues passion for children’s theaterMar 26, 2025 12:05 pm - Actress Maria Clara Ospina discovered her passion for children’s theater while attending North Central College. A Chicago Children’s Theatre veteran, she co-stars in the company’s premiere of “Go Dog Go! (Ve Perro ¡Ve!).
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Best Bets: TikTok sensation Drew Wiegman brings improvisational cello home to Lake CountyMar 25, 2025 9:59 am - Self-taught cellist and Lake County native Drew Wiegman headlines the James Lumber Center in Grayslake, Elmhurst History Museum examines DuPage County’s farming legacy, and the Lyric Opera stages the Chicago premiere of the new adults-only “The Listeners.”
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Spotlight: Edge of the Wood Theatre opens with Theresa Rebeck’s ‘Bernhardt/Hamlet’Mar 24, 2025 3:22 pm - An actress becomes “Hamlet” in Edge of the Wood’s “Bernhardt/Hamlet,” a woman answers a stranger’s cellphone in MadKap Productions’ “Dead Man’s Cell Phone,” and a grandmother and granddaughter jump into action in Filament Theatre’s “Hannah and Halmoni Save the World.”
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Schaumburg’s Prairie Center for the Arts expansion to coincide with village hall constructionMar 24, 2025 12:41 pm - Schaumburg officials are moving up an expansion of the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts’ lobby that had been planned for the 2028-29 budget year to capture some cost efficiencies with the imminent construction of a new village hall next door.
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Winning revival: Aurora’s Paramount delivers four-star ‘Spelling Bee’Mar 21, 2025 4:50 pm - On winter’s last raw and rainy night, Aurora’s Paramount Theatre delivered a breath of spring with its delightful revival of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a charming tuner about middle-school students vying for a chance to compete at The National Spelling Bee.